Reminisce
by Momma Mustang
Summary: [HyuRoi] The loss of Roy is heavy. But with the adorable little kitten he left behind, Maes has to move on with his life, even if that means getting help from those he doesn't like. [mpreg]
1. Royce

All right! This took a bit of time, and didn't come out as I thought, but I'm not disappointed in it, actually. Shorter than I would have liked, but it shouldn't be too bad. And now, for the notes.

Royce's name...came from a roleplay a long time ago. I only used the name. I've always liked it, and the other character didn't fit in here.

As you may have guessed, I've found a new fascination with **MPREG**. . You can blame this on Yuki, and a fic I found that was exceptionally good, even for a RoyEd. If you don't like, I suggest you don't read.

Yuki and I looked into this. How it is possible will be explained in detail as I go on.

I already stated that Maes wazs /not/ the father, before you flame me. That'll be explained too.

Any other problems? Eh, those are your issues. I'm just not feeling well.

Chapters can be expected to be longer then this. And I'll finish the others soon...I hope.

AND! Luff the Yuki. I've been meaning to do something like this for a while. I've just finally been motivated into it.

FINAL WARNING: Eh, this is HyuRoi and mpreg. x3 Dun like, dun read. That's all I have to say.

"You're too cute!" He squealed, holding the small child above his head and watching as he flailed about, smiling down at the man who held him. It wasn't difficult to say that this wasn't his child. Of course not. He couldn't have one. Especially since he wasn't human...just an animated doll, technically. But no matter what he was, the fact still remained that he had a heart, and a wonderful attachment to cats. For now, he didn't care. As long as the child smiled, held the genes of the man he loved, and stayed with him, that would be all that mattered. He had nothing...nothing at all now. Just the child that was left behind, the life that had to take one to be formed. The handsome child in his hands.

"Kitten...I need a name for you." Violet eyes followed the baby in his hands as he brought him down to his eye level, peering into those depths with an almost loving gaze. It was uncharacteristic for those born in the manner he had been to be anything but cold, cruel, and focused on his own goal. He no longer had goals; there was nothing else to work for. No longer did he have his lover to protect, the handsome young man that he had protected for seven years. No, he had this child...this handsome child that looked remarkably like the one he had lost, he thought as the young child reaching for the stray lock of hair that stuck out from his head.

The child blinked wrapping stubby little fingers around it and tugging with the small amount of strength in his tiny body, giggling at the man as he stared up at it. He found it so entertaining, and he wasn't three months old yet. A soft chuckle left the grown one, closing his eyes as he pulled the child to his chest, holding him close, almost as if he was looking for reassurance from the child that everything was all right. Maes...that was what Kitten had called him. No matter that he wasn't the man from his past. No, he was the reborn form of the man who died, but that didn't matter. His Kitten didn't care. His Kitten...

The child gurgled, playing with the lock of hair until he yawned. Maes sighed, almost sadly as he peered at the small life that he held so dearly to him. He could not let this go. This was the last thing his Kitten had left him. The last thing that gave him happiness. "You may not be my child, but you're all I have left. I won't let you go." The uncanny resemblance...Maes would never allow this baby out of his sight. He'd watch him grow watch him have a family, and he would protect him for as long as he lived.

"You look just like him. And you were his son, so a name like his would be fitting. A cute, but strong name." He stood there for quite some time, hearing the yawns from the little child he held so dear. He was so cute. He was his Kitten...there was no way in denying it, whether he wanted to or not. He couldn't have children, and he didn't think Kitten could have either, but that just proved that humans were cruel enough to put someone who had suffered so much through even more. "Roy was so proud of you...he smiled when I got to hold you, said I would be a good dad. Course, he had to be the mom. But...you won't know that now..."

Reminiscing back on the day always did hit a nerve with him, making him angry, or sad, or...there were so many emotions jumbled into his head, homunculus or not, Maes would never be able to rid himself of them. And...no matter how much it bothered him, he wouldn't get rid of them. It meant that Roy had left such an impact on his life, an impact that had changed the cold, failed transmutation into a loving man who cared for his Kitten and didn't give a damn about anyone else. Their first meeting...the day he died...their escape. Memories could only flood his mind whenever he stared at the baby.

Maes had promised Roy that he couldn't live without him. If Roy were to die, Maes would go and purposely find a skilled alchemist to kill him. A world without Roy was like a human living without the sun. There was no point in its existence. No reason to go on. And the more he found himself watching the one thing Roy left behind, the more he debated on killing the damn thing. How could Roy leave it behind! How could Roy expect him to care for something that looked remarkably like him? How could Roy expect him to live on without him...?

_I wanted to give you something to live for..._

Those words...were some of the last words uttered by Roy. After the final round of experimentation on him, he was hardly human anymore. There was no more Roy in the end. At least, not until his final moments, when those obsidian eyes lit up at the sounds of the crying, seeing the shocked expression of Maes, though he seemed rather proud and pleased...when it was time to say goodbye.

"I know! Royce!" He grinned widely at the baby, pulling him away from him and watching his face for any signs towards the idea that he liked it or preferred something else. Almost three months and the child had no name. Maes couldn't bear to give him one, what with the looming desire to kill him, and the thought of betraying his word to Roy following his death...but he realized that Roy wanted this. Even if it did kill him...Roy wanted Maes to be happy. Or...as happy as a homunculus could be.

The baby yawned again; smacking his lips silently, expressive midnight blue eyes watching Maes. He didn't fuss, and he seemed a bit tired, but he did grin at the name before yawning again and reached out to cling to him. He desired warmth, a nice place to rest his head, a place to sleep. And…Maes had been the chosen spot. Before he could even say anything next, Royce's mouth opened again, whining and fidgeting. He didn't like being held out like that when he was tired apparently. Maes gave a small grin, pulling the child to his chest. "Roy didn't like that either..."

xxxxx

Auburn eyes glanced up at the black door, the brass knocker that of a gargoyle. It never surprised her to see it, to some of the other things that had accumulated in the yard as decorations, or inside the home that had once belonged to her commander…the men behind her had also grown used to the strange way the place had become decorated. It was hardly something that they would worry themselves over. They had a job to do here. Even Edward Elric and his brother (in the flesh), Aruphonse Elric were there.

"Go on in." Maes said, tossing aside a few branches as he came up towards the front. He had been out back trimming the bushes, seemingly, and was rather bored. In a one arm grasp, he held Royce to his chest, the baby's small fists curled around the man's shirt, nuzzling the warm body beneath him, a barely audible purr coming from the tiny body. His black, disheveled locks signaling he had just been woken from a nap, and found that he was much more interested in sucking on the homunculus' shirt, rather than checking out their visitors.

"How ya doin', Chief?" The tall blonde asked, tossing down the cigarette and stomping it out at a warning glare from Hughes. Blue eyes looked from the dark haired child to his 'father', offering an apologetic grin. Havoc knew that it was a stupid thing to smoke around Hughes. One, he loved to steal his cigarettes and torture him, he couldn't recall how many times he had done it when Roy was alive, and two, he hated Havoc smoking around Roy period, so there was no way he was getting away with smoking around their son.

The woman cleared her throat, blonde locks falling past her shoulders. Riza Hawkeye had abandoned the thought of looking professional. The last time she had come straight from work and looked like her work self, Royce had broken out into screams at the mere sight of her, let alone when she had picked him up. Needless to say, she had learned that he wasn't ready to see Hawkeye from work, just yet.

"He's so cute." Fuery commented, getting a rather eager nod from Aru as well, the two males staring at Maes, the baby nuzzling into his frame. It was easy to tell who his 'mother' in certain ways was, he had adapted quite a few of Roy's traits from the trouble the Taisa went through seven years ago. Adorable little ears that twitched upon his head, a small, thin, bony tail that curled itself around Maes' wrist, the one being underneath his bottom to support him. His round face was only accented by the six, almost invisible whiskers, three on each cheek. And, on occasions, those who changed him, noticed the feet and legs, up to about his belly button, covered in fur, feet shaped like little paws. No matter how deformed he was, he was still Roy's little one. And that just made Aru more attached to the child anyway.

Royce yawned, his head flopping slightly as he turned to look at those who had gathered on the porch, catching handsome honey eyes first before recoiling and clinging back to Maes, returning to the gentle suckling on his shirt, searching for the nub that he believed would provide him milk.

The homunculus gave a small grin, nodding to them. "Go on inside. He's getting hungry. I have a few more of Kitten's things to get ready."

Aru grinned down at the little one laying in his basinet, the younger Elric supposed to be changing him but found himself playing with Royce's little cat-like feet, the baby's big eyes watching him with interest, wide with curiosity, darting around to see everything that was going on. He wanted to know everything, and Aru seemed to be the most interesting thing, how he almost /squealed/ when he removed the diaper to change him.

However, it wasn't long before Ed came up, nudging Aru. "Don't do that, you'll scare him. Maybe even hurt him. Hughes will kill you if you do either one."

"Aw, but Ed! He's like a baby kitty!"

Ed raised a brow, grinning slightly at his brother's enthusiasm. "Mustang was too."

"True, but he also had alchemy." Aru answered, making him kick his feet. "He's just too cute. Two of my favorite things, combined into one. Babies and cats."

Ed sighed. "Change him so he can eat. He's about to eat his hand."

Aru blinked, hazel eyes watching as Royce began trying to fit his tiny hand in his even smaller mouth. Aru couldn't help but give a giggle at it, scooping the child into his arms and forgetting about his changing at the moment. He just couldn't believe he was so adorable.

"Did you ever find out why he looks like that, Chief?" Havoc asked, lifting up a photo album, a leather bound album with a large photo of Roy, Maes and Royce in what was probably the hospital before Roy's life slipped away.

Maes turned a glare on Havoc, the blonde immediately regretting asking. "Is there something wrong with the way he looks?" He demanded, hand that had gripped the marble mantle coming dangerously close to ripping it up.

Havoc waved his hands to protest such an idea. "No, of course not!" He could have so used a cigarette then, but they weren't even allowed weapons inside Hughes' home. He knew that Maes had always loved to kill anyone who had made Roy's life hell; his son wouldn't be any different. "I was just wondering if you knew is all."

Maes glanced at the photo that had remained upon the mantle. "Roy was a chimera, remember? That meant his genetic material had been combined with the cat they used, leaving him passing on those traits. I don't care, really. I don't understand it. But that just proves he's my Kitten's offspring."

Fuery held out a cup of tea for Maes, offering him a small smile, albeit a bit frightened. Maes was intimidating, especially after all the hell they had put him through, trying to break the Flame and his partner up…but now, Maes needed help taking care of Royce, and the little creature being the blood of the Taisa, had been the reason that Hawkeye and the others were here. Aru had dragged Ed along on his visit to see his favorite baby.

Roy, dead or alive, was their commander. They'd remain faithful to him. This baby was his, and Maes knew /nothing, as a homunculus, on how to take care of himself, let alone a child. That didn't mean that they couldn't do what they wanted, and seal Maes, as Hawkeye had been planning from the start, with Havoc's suggestion. She was the only one who would have the guts to take on Maes, along with Edward Elric who would do the alchemy part of it. For now, they would be patient…they had to be.

"AUGH! Aru put it back!"

"Nii-san! Don't scream! You'll scare him!"

"Did you SEE what it DID!"

Maes raised a brow, all of the occupants in the room turning to the brothers rather confused. What the hell was the commotion? But Maes was the first to start laughing, followed by the other men in the room, and Aru did his best to repress his giggles, though…it wasn't working much, much to the annoyance of one Edward Elric. Hawkeye seemed to be the only one who could remain calm, and it wasn't that much better than the others, considering she was grinning as she took Royce from Ed, handing him a cloth. She coughed lightly, laying the baby back inside his basinet and proceeding to put on a fresh diaper. "A word of advice, Edward. Always hold a baby when they're /wearing/ a diaper. And…you should have waited until I fed him as well."

Ed glowered, wiping his face and staring down at the once white shirt, now tinged yellow because of the little one's urgency to relieve himself. How the hell was he a part of this? He and the Flame Colonel hardly found each others company welcoming, and still he had been lured here to do more damage than he wanted. He sighed, tossing the cloth in a nearby hamper while Riza lifted the kid into her arms, raising a bottle to the 'o' shaped mouth that Royce's lips seemed to be permanently shaped as.

Maes watched on, Riza cradling the baby to her chest as she sat down, supporting the bottle for him. It was just as how Roy had been, holding onto the bottle, drinking it, sitting in Maes' lap, comfortable. The content purrs that came from the man as he fell asleep, clinging to him…

He turned away briefly, watching Havoc go outside, followed by Fuery who could never seem to leave the Lieutenant's side, especially when Maes was around. He wouldn't accept that he was soulless. He had feelings…he wanted his Kitten back. Not even the baby could make up for what he lost.

"Hughes?" Aru turned to Maes, holding up a ball on a string, jingling it lightly, the sound of bells coming from inside catching the little ones ears as well. Royce's ears twitched, opening his eyes and looking for the source of the sound. Though he didn't understand it, he knew that he wanted to learn about it, and that only made it that much more devastating to Hughes in the end. "One of Roy's old toys." He said slowly.

Aru frowned. He hadn't meant to, but it seemed to happen whenever they found anything in the place that had once belonged to Roy, the homunculus shied away and immediately shut down. It wasn't Hughes. If he went off on his killing spree…or threw things around, perhaps the atmosphere would have been a bit less tense. "Sorry."

"Stop being an idiot. There's nothing to be sorry about." Maes snapped.

Riza shifted Royce, not bothering to look up at him. He was being difficult again, as usual. She was hardly perturbed by his mood swings. "Don't take that tone with him. He was simply apologizing. Taisa may be gone, but that gives you no right act in such a way. Think of the child before you yell out at someone. Do you want his baby to grow up to that?"

Hughes certainly wasn't going to take that. However, he had to restraint himself. Riza held Royce in her arms. He could allow no harm to come to that child. Roy left it to him to care for and raise…"Tch…just shut up…"

Ed scoffed, hands going into his pockets. "You know…I don't give a damn who you were to Mustang, or who that kid belongs to, but you had better stay out of trouble, because I won't hesitate."

Maes gave a small smirk. "Care to try me, pipsqueak?"

"Don't say pipsqueak!"

Maes snorted softly. "You, kid, annoy the hell out of me most of all. The way you treated Kitten on his first day back in work…he wanted to hide. He was ashamed of himself. I will never let you get away with it. You're just lucky I can't kill you. Now, weren't we going to get things ready?"

xxxxx

_I saw him there. I didn't know what to think. I was in so much pain, I couldn't drag myself from the thoughts that consumed my mind, but he was the one I could see through it all. The stars that clouded my vision, the sour but rather metallic taste in my mouth signaling the urge to vomit, the lump in my throat that made it hard to breathe and swallow._

_I didn't know who he was. It wasn't exactly human looking, and the face was just indistinct from anything I could scrounge from my memories, no matter how much I liked to think I knew him. He held an air of familiarity about him, and it helped my pain subside._

_I was not the only one here. He was there, and he looked to be suffering as much as I had been, not to mention there were more animalistic groups in the cells around. I could smell them, hear their howls and squawks and clawing to get free, feel their apprehension, even taste the fear. It was a rush the moment the door opened, and I couldn't explain it all, really. I had no idea what was going on, and the only coherent thought I had at the time was the thought that I was going to die there. The pain was too much, but I could not muster the strength to end it myself._

_The ground was cold. Hard. There was no comfort to seek in it. And at that moment, it was all I wanted. I just wanted to be warm, for someone to make the pain stop. The more I searched, the more I found myself sinking lower and lower into a sea of despair so thick and so black that it was worse than tar. I couldn't get out of it. I couldn't make my way back to the surface, the pressure seemed to grow, and it was crushing my body._

_Just when I thought that the overwhelming weight on my chest and the darkness pressing against my eyes was too much to take, there were two lights. Purple-red in color, beautiful jewels that lit up the way. I felt a strange warmth in those eyes, despite my situation and what was going on. The sound that had been drowned out in my sea of despair returned, a sudden wave of heat flowing over my cool exposed flesh like a heavy blanket, and I was glad for it._

_I looked up, the sight of those eyes giving me hope. I saw him. I found my strength in him..._

_Those irises…I knew them, though they were none I had ever seen before. I reached out, not noticing my differences at the moment; I just wanted to touch him. He said nothing, just writhed and howled, but I could see no reason for his pain. We were the same…I realized then. We both had meaningless existences. I wanted to touch him, to be assured I was not suffering alone, and that I had hope. You, Maes, were my only hope…_


	2. Hakuro

Chapter two! Malcom was brought in for the purposes of something much later on. DO NOTE THAT HE BELONGS TO AND ALWAYS WILL BELONG TO YUKI. I borrowed him. It's been changed a bit, unfortunately, from her luffly one, but, I had little choice, since I added him in the last minute. I had no idea what I was going to do, and then I knew I had to get another character in. So, I borrowed Malcom. Luff the Malcom!

Anyway, yeah, the rest of the chapters throughout this fic will have Maes' POV of something that happened in the beginning in bold, and Roy's at the end in italics. That's just the reason for the title really. I have it planned out, and it's going well. Already on Chapter four. Just had to work out the kinks.

**Fushigi Rockna **-- xD Why thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I enjoyed writing it. It's good that I have a nephew about Royce's age. Everything was taken from him. I hope you have more of those moments as this continues.

**Ryopon** -- Of course! It wouldn't be a Fullmetal Alchemist fic without everyone's favorite Flame Alchemist! And thank you. This is one that I want to work hard on.

**Maes Hughes's Lover** -- Really? I've always wanted to write one, but I didn't have a reason to. I'm glad this one worked out to my advantage. Glad you like it, as well. Perhaps I will. THough they probably wouldn't have such intricate plots as this one.

**_Warning: This contains HyuRoi, made-ups, and MPREG. If you have a problem with any of them, do leave right now. You've been warned._**

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**I found him in the rain. It was a cold night, and I couldn't stand to be at home at that time. How could I? It was a harsh reminder of what had been taken from me, and at the moment, I didn't much care to remember it. The only thing I wanted was to feel the blood of some fool who dared to think they could challenge me. Running through my fingers, dripping to the ground, mixing with the rivulets of water that poured from the sky…**

**I left the baby somewhere…I couldn't recall at the time. The only thing I knew was that it was being cared for, so that was good enough for me. I could have left it with some wench on the corner, and as long as it was being watched, I didn't care. I never was much of a guy for kids. **

**Sad wasn't the word for what I was experiencing. I wasn't feeling any pain or sorrow. It didn't matter any more. He was gone. Sobbing…over something so little was kind of pointless and wasn't going to bring him back. So, what better to do? There was a reason Roy was dead. So…I was going to find the bastards who caused that reason. Fun.**

**Of course. I could smirk at it all, watch the people try and scramble from the horrible weather while I stood there, comfortable, drenched, manic. It wasn't that I wanted to be like that, but I no longer seemed to have the restraints Roy had made. Those chains that had made it so I seemed 'tame', though, I never was, had dissipated. **

**My stance was a usual one. An aloof one, hands in the pockets of the black trench that Roy had left behind, though a bit small on me still something I couldn't seem to take off for long periods of time, followed by some clothing that I had recently bought. I suppose that was just to make me feel a bit better about the things going on. Well, I had to say, that I did. It felt damn good to worry about myself for once!**

**It took a moment, before I realized that I could see someone, someone who struck an uncanny resemblance with him…I had stopped walking and was staring at this small, pitiful form on the ground, soaked even more than I was. I hadn't even realized I had done any of this until I saw his eyes move up to mine, not full of fear, or resentment, but full of curiosity. For a moment…I saw the same eyes that I saw on him, the day my mind was fully capable of understanding things, the day he gave me his weakened smile…the day I can say we officially met.**

**For reasons beyond my control, I couldn't leave him there. He was too much like him. Those beautiful eyes…the only difference…I could not care for him as I did Roy. That part of me died when he did. "What's your name, kid?"**

**The boy blinked, staring up at me with that same gaze, though he was a bit confused. "M-My name?" He stuttered, from what I assumed to be cold. "Malcom, sir."**

How was he supposed to be able to sleep with that noise? What the hell /was/ that noise, anyway? It proved to be a nuisance…How could anyone sleep through that incessant banging, and the whining? Honestly, the neighbors had little consideration before, and that took a bit of persuasion from Maes to get them to shut up when Roy was having another one of his rough nights, or he himself was enduring trouble as he tried to rest. Damn humans…if Royce—

As if on cue, the baby's cries rang throughout the almost empty home, the homunculus burying his face in the pillow for a moment, not to block out Royce's cries, but to restrain himself. No matter how much he wanted to march over to the party house next door and break a few necks of the annoying teenagers, he couldn't. Hawkeye promised that if there was one death that could even /remotely/ be brought back to him, she'd take little Royce away, and that was a fate much worse than being chased after. He wouldn't allow that woman to take him. Especially since he didn't like her to begin with. The kid just liked her pillows and the fact that she gave him milk.

After another moment, he groaned, sitting up. Sometimes he hated to have the kid around. He cried so much, required unlimited care, unconditional love…Hughes may have been able to do those things with Roy, but that had taken everything. Maes had patience for himself, and that was about it. It took everything he had not to strangle Roy's former subordinates. Maes was tired of trying, he supposed.

Still crying. Damn, that meant he had to get up and find out what was wrong. Food, changing, comfort…things that Maes was too lazy too offer at the moment. He cared a lot about Royce, how could he not? But at the moment, he just couldn't be bothered. With a heavy groan, he fell back to the pillows.

Hughes laid there for what seemed like hours, when it was only about five minutes, listening to the now screaming child across the hall. What was wrong? Why was he reacting so badly to all of it? He didn't want to think. If someone was going to take him, kill him, perhaps it would have been best. He wouldn't grow up knowing what Roy suffered through for only a few years, he'd be better off than with a father like Maes…However, the moment he heard the cries stop and the rustling in the next room, he shot up, already in a defensive stance and grabbing the knife he kept by his beside, slowly making his way into the room.

"Sir!"

A young man stumbled backwards, narrowly avoiding the blade that threatened to dig in between his shoulders. The black hair that rested in a neat, but diverse manner so similar to the photo that rested on the dresser besides Royce's basinet, the boy's eyes staring up, not in fear but in question. He was never afraid of the man, even in the short time that he had known him. Something about him stuck out. He wasn't the big mean man that he wanted everyone to think he was.

Maes sighed, watching the youth pull the baby from the tucked in position to cushion him from falling. Hadn't he just thought about letting someone take the wretched brat off of his hands? But that was Roy…Roy's flesh and blood. Nothing he could say or do would change that, and as long as he still cared for Roy, he would protect the child. "Sorry…" He mumbled.

The young man stood up, cradling Royce to him as he gave a small grin. "It's okay. He was crying and I thought you were resting, so I thought I would look after him. This is the one the military seems so interested in, hm?"

Maes narrowed his eyes, staring at his companion with distrust. The…military? Was that why Hawkeye and the others were so focused on helping him take care of Royce. That was one thing he would be damned to let happen. No one was going to make an experiment out of his son. "What are they saying, Malcom?"

The dark haired boy blinked, bringing Royce up so his head could rest comfortably on his shoulder. "Of course. They were too late to get whoever his mother is, but they said that you had the son. You're quite famous around Central. I didn't mean to startle you, sir. The soldiers keep driving by, as a matter of fact…"

Maes turned to the window facing the street. Of course. They wouldn't let him get away either. "Well, I guess I'll just have to kill some idiots." If they came into his home to take what was his, not even Hawkeye could hold it against him. He had a right to defend his home. "You're back early." He commented casually.

Malcom sighed, nodding slowly. "Yes. It wasn't working out there."

Maes crossed his arms; gaze still focused on the window. There was nothing to look at, since the drapes had been pulled over the windows to maintain privacy. There was nothing to see but the occasional vehicle or the rare pedestrian going by, runners who liked to go before dawn. But…to look at Malcom at the moment would prove to be disastrous. At the current point in time, Hughes just was not in the mood to deal with anyone.

"Besides, you could use the help. What's his name?" Changing the subject was good, right?

"Royce."

"He's hungry."

Maes lifted a brow, turning back to Malcom, trying to stay mad, but rather curious as to how he knew right off. It took him at least fifteen minutes to figure things out, and he had him for three months. Malcom had just met him and he was already able to read him. "How'd you know…?"

Malcom gave a small smile. "Well, when I picked him up, he was still fussing. That meant he didn't just want attention. By the sounds of his little cries, he wasn't wet, and his diaper is light. And…he's trying to eat my shirt."

Damn. This kid knew Royce better than he did. That was wrong…on so many levels. He was supposed to be his father. Refusing to show him anymore emotion on the matter, Maes went and heated up the bottle, setting it in the pot of water on the stove to warm it to the perfect temperature. "So you'll be staying here again?"

Malcom nodded, walking out and bouncing the malformed baby as he approached his guardian. "I plan on it. You're going to get yourself into trouble…I don't understand what's going on, but I'll help out…"

"I don't want you to. Stay out of it." Maes answered quickly and coldly.

Malcom knew that was coming. Maes never did let him in on anything, though he hadn't known him for very long. This was no exception. He probably would let him take up Royce's care, because it didn't seem to be something Maes was very good at. Then again, what could you expect from such an anti-social person? Taking the bottle from the pot and testing it upon his wrist, he gave a small grin and sat down at the kitchen table, leaning Royce back in his arms to cradle him, putting the nipple of the bottle to the 'o' shaped lips that had been searching for sustenance since he had awoken. He had to admit, the little kid was cute, but that still didn't mean he necessarily liked it. He was the reason that Maes had sent him off in the first place, even though it had only lasted for about two weeks before he managed to come back.

"I'm going to bed…" The homunculus informed the two, though Royce had no idea what that meant and Malcom merely nodded, showing he understood. He would allow Maes to be himself and in return, he might have been allowed to stay. That was all he wanted right now.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye?" Hawkeye stood from her desk, offering a quick salute. Just another day at work, or at least, that was what she thought when she came in this morning. The sun had risen, Black Hayate had awoken her…the same routine. Then again, when you worked in the military, things could never be predicted. You had to live day by day, and Riza…hated to have things messed up when she had them perfectly organized.

So, when General Hakuro came to see her, she was awfully surprised. If anything, she thought he would go to the new Colonel, but no…he was here, disrupting the order she had put into place when it came to the schedule she had placed her and all of the lower ranks around her on to keep it running as smoothly as possibly. For now, though, she would brush it off. Spending several years under Roy Mustang made you wary of all your actions around a higher up, even when you no longer served under him. "General Hakuro. It's a pleasant surprise."

"Colonel Turner is out on business today. So, I thought I would see you personally." He gave a small grin, nodding to her. "At ease."

Hawkeye's hand fell, watching him curiously. The orders had come from him to take Royce out of Maes' custody, and she, Havoc, Fuery, Falman, Breda and Armstrong had all been chosen for the mission. Falman refused. He was facing discharge for it. Of course, the most he would get was a suspension. Armstrong had better duties. Being a Lieutenant Colonel gave him a bit more to do. Breda was unable to follow the simple order as well. However, Riza had a deep connection to Roy. She would not betray him. If she happened to go through with the plan, she herself would take Royce, leave Central, and elude the military as long as she could. To run tests on a child…a child barely three months old, no less. "Yes, sir?"

"Your progress, Lieutenant."

Riza knew that was coming. Why else would he want to see her personally? "There hasn't been any."

"You /did/ take Fullmetal with you, didn't you?" His golden eyes narrowed in suspicion. There should have been no problem with completing it yesterday. Then again, he knew of the loyalties. He had expected some resistance, but they were the few that would be able to get close enough, so he had little choice…

"We did. However, the target and specimen were too close to get near enough to take it. Besides, Fullmetal was not allotted enough time to draw the circle. Not to mention we are not allowed to dig up the remains…"

Hakuro raised a hand. "It's fine. I will handle it from here."

"But, sir—"

"Dismissed, Lieutenant."

Riza's eyes narrowed as she watched him walk away; hand back up in a salute. Well, she was going to take an early lunch today. Maes had to be warned. No matter how much she despised him, hated his methods, she had morals.

"_I need you to take care of him."_

"_Who, Taisa?"_

_A small chuckle. "As much as I worry about the little one…Maes will need much more looking after."_

'Taisa…' Hawkeye's hand fell, the blonde woman shooting a glance at Havoc, silently ordering him to follow. There was little time. Hakuro would instantly launch troops, and if what Roy had said was true, they would already be prepared to at least immobilize him while they took what they came for. They had to put their differences aside to make sure history did not repeat itself, that Royce wasn't made another casualty of the very humans that made his existence possible.

Malcom frowned, staring down at Royce. He was fed almost an hour ago, he had changed his diaper, and he fussed even more when he was picked up. No matter what he tried to do, it just seemed to bother him even more. "What…do you want?" He tapped his foot lightly on the plush rug that the basinet rested on, running his finger on the edge, thinking of everything that could possibly be wrong.

"You don't want me, or him, you can't be hungry, I burped you, I just changed you…I really don't know what you want. You don't have a fever…" He sighed softly, running a hand through his dark locks. Babies were so hard. Not to mention Royce wasn't exactly a normal child. What could have possibly been the result? He was kind of curious to know how it even happened. The other night had been the first time he had saw the little one, and Maes never spoke about himself, or about where the kid even came from. There had been times he heard crying, especially at night, but he shoved them aside. They didn't seem relevant at the time. Though…Maes had threatened him to stay away from the locked door. He just put it in his mind that it was nothing to worry about, no matter how curious he had been at the time.

"Are you in pain, then?" He asked, reaching down and rubbing the kicking legs. Ebony fur covered the limbs; small, far from human…what exactly was his mother, and what had happened to her?

Royce wiggled, reaching out with a tiny fist; almost see through nails more in the shape of claws, staring up at Malcom with a rather frightened look in his eyes. No longer was he crying, or even whining. "That feels better?" his flailing stopped, though he still reached for the current caretaker, as if he wanted to be held.

Malcom gave a small grin, reaching down to pick him up, holding his head against his heart. He was jealous, who wouldn't be when you had a small baby to come home to, that had been there before you? Sure he hadn't known Maes that long, but the baby was his. Not much room for him. Shy, perhaps…"That's all you wanted…" He muttered, rocking him. The baby's legs were just bothering him, it could have been a number of things…he doubted that Maes had enough knowledge to take the boy to a hospital.

"I guess I'll have to talk to him. You need special care…" Malcom sighed, running his fingers through the soft locks of hair. "Suppose I should get everything else ready while I wait. It's almost like a cycle with you." No matter what was said about the little boy, Malcom thought he was rather adorable. Then again, what child wasn't?

"What are you doing here?"

He raised a dark brow, pulling the bottle from Royce's mouth. Who was here? Maes didn't get many visitors, and anyone who did come by to complain or otherwise didn't do it a second time. Hadn't the thought spread to the other neighbors yet, or were they really that stupid?

"Move aside. Where is the boy?"

What was going on? Malcom frowned, lifting Royce back up to his shoulder and stepped closer to the door of the nursery, listening to the words that drifted through the house, sending him warning signals to stay put, and wait for Maes. Then again, after what he had told the homunculus, Hughes was rather cautious around visitors, and kept Royce from any doors, windows, or any opening that would allow someone to easily find him. He highly doubted that they would be looking for him.

"It's all right."

Malcom blinked, coming to sit out with the small group that had gathered in the living room of Maes' place, setting himself in a chair and returning to what he had been doing before the loud voices had called him away from his duty, so to speak. Royce eagerly took the bottle, clinging to Malcom as he took sight of the blonde woman who seemed to be glaring in his direction.

"It seems our time has run out." She stated calmly, auburn eyes lifting from the raven haired boys to their 'father'. "He can't stay here anymore."

Maes snorted. "So your bosses are making a move. Doesn't surprise me, I've known for a few days now. I did my own snooping. I don't care what they have; they aren't going to take him. I don't like idiots. I'll kill every bastard that walks through that door wanting to take Kitten's gift away."

"I'm sure that they have realized who you are by now. The military will come prepared. They won't hesitate. I'm sure if they can persuade someone who has knowledge of the homunculus, you'll be sealed." Hawkeye was not going to let him do this his way. It'd only lead to more problems all around. This was not what any of them wanted and she would not permit it. "You came in so many times with the Taisa; I'm surprised they haven't hunted you before now."

Hughes snorted. "Do you /know/ why? He wouldn't hunt me because of what I am. The Fuhrer isn't afraid of me, he probably /needs/ me. I wouldn't be surprised if he was planning to come here and take Royce just to see what I would do. I'm not some damn pushover, Blondie; I'm not going to sit here."

"Sir?" Malcom had spoken up for the first time, pulling the empty bottle from Royce's lips, the little child still wanting, not to drink from it, but to suck on it. He gained a soothing action from it, calmed him, distracted him from the sight of the woman who looked to hate his very appearance, for reasons he did not understand. He clung to Malcom's shirt, not understanding the conversation, but Maes' raised voice told him something was wrong, and the urge to cry started to become overwhelming. Not only his heightened senses as a baby told him that, but the strange animal instincts that had consumed him as well had. He wanted to get away, and the only refuge he had was Malcom's shirt.

Hughes stood. "When?" He asked. There was no need for explanation, he decided, reaching for the fussing boy, pulling him away and lifting him to his own arms, gently rocking him to lull him to sleep, making sure Hawkeye was not in his sight.

"They could be here within hours…" Riza replied, standing as well.

"Then." His gaze fell to Malcom. "This is what we will do."

_How long had it been? At least a week, no more than two. I couldn't discern between the marks I had made on the wall in my haste to count the days. Hell, I couldn't even be sure that the days had passed. A day could feel like an eternity, the constant pain flowing through me, consuming my desires, hate, love…there was nothing there but the despair of being caged like an animal, and the shame that I felt that I had been reduced as such._

_I had been able to move a bit more, to allow the pain to subside long enough to look over into the cell next to mine. I suppose…the only thing keeping me alive was the pain, so I reveled in it, and I used that as an excuse to meet your eyes, another caged animal, just like me…_

"_Stop staring." You stated coldly, and the only thing I could do was to continue. You weren't half as annoyed as you sounded, though, at that time; I had no idea what you were. I just knew that the crunching sounds of whatever they fed you helped bring you to the handsome man I saw beside me._

_My former life was a great blur. I couldn't remember my own name, why I was dressed in loose military clothing, or even why I had been called 'Taisa'. The rank of a Colonel, the stripes and stars upon the uniform I wore. They meant something, I knew as much, but I could not say what they had meant. When I tried to think about it, I drew a complete blank…_

"His didn't turn out at all…"

"What do we do with it?"

"The result from the transmutation was horribly malformed."

"Do we leave it?"

"It'll be dead soon on its own. Just last night it had a seizure. I'm surprised it didn't stay dead when its heart stopped."

"And if it doesn't?"

"We'll study more into it. But for now, keep up with the usual tests."

_Those voices that drifted through the door…I wanted to think they were talking about someone else. I even pictured that they were talking about you, but though my memory had been horribly these past days, I knew the blank in my memory from meal time yesterday to early this morning was not just a memory lapse. I was falling apart, wasn't I? And no one there to offer me the comfort I wanted most of all._

_But you…you made me grin. You, almost grudgingly, pushed a bowl of water in my direction. "Drink."_

_That one word, and the way you said it…it was all rather hilarious to me, and though I could not find my voice to laugh out loud, I gave you a small grin. I could not resist. You looked so adorable there, your lips formed into what looked like a permanent pout as you looked away, a cold stare in your eyes as you glared at the yellow eyes staring in our direction. _

_Forcing my sore, fatigued limbs to carry me over to the bars, I pulled it as close as I could, staring down in repulsiveness at what I /knew/ had once been a hand with five fingers, strong hands that had a purpose, now in the form of a rather strange looking paw, claws unable to retract in a mixture of pain, the inability to pull them in, and the fact that they were my only defense. No longer worried about it when the thoughts drifted away to what every creature needed, and the call of the water before me, I reached, scooping up some of the water, and licking it from the fur and the pads there, noting the sandpaper feeling of my tongue._

_I couldn't help it. I choked. I wasn't human anymore, and the more I thought about it as I drank, the more I had to fight back the overwhelming fear and anxiety that began to override the bit of glee I had felt when you offered the rather cool water to me. _

"_What's wrong?"_

_I blinked, looking up. You still held that same look in your eye, merging with the curiosity that leaked through. What was wrong? I lost my humanity. I was trapped here. I was alone…Instead, I put on a smirk. One that felt so familiar to me. "Don't worry about it. It's my business."_

_You turned your head, snorting softly. "Then stop your whimpering."_

_I sighed, allowing my gaze to return to the water. The lights above were dim, and it did not prove enough light to allow me to see myself, for which, I was glad for. "What is your name?"_

_You scoffed, your arms wrapping around to embrace the bars of your cell. "I don't have one."_

_How…could he not have one? Sure…I didn't remember my name, but that didn't mean we didn't have one. "You just don't know what it is."_

"_Shut up."_

_I realized then there was no use in continuing. You seemed much too cold at the moment to carry a decent conversation with. "Thank you…" I muttered meagerly. I may not have wanted to, but I could feel myself growing attached to the stone wall you had seemed to be. Out of all those I had seen…you seemed to be the only one who could penetrate to my core with those piercing violet eyes of yours._

"_For?"_

_What was I thankful for? It wasn't just the water. Little did you know, looking at that face kept me alive. You seemed to be a friend of sorts, even if you did seem to hate everything that moved and breathed. "Thank you…for everything." _

* * *

Nah, it was shorter than I would have liked, but longer than the last chapter. Hope you enjoyed! 


	3. Target?

All right. There are a few reasons as for why this update took so long. One, my computer went down, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to leave this fic the almost nine thousand words it was, or cut it down. And, then, Yuki and I haven't really…been together anymore, so I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue with Malcom, and if I wasn't, I'd have to rewrite the whole thing, and change my plans. But! I decided that I still want to use Yuki's great character, giving her credit, and hope that maybe we'll be friends again. Only time will tell, but, well, Roy? Here's your update! Taisa's sorry he took so long, dovey!

**Maes Hughes's Lover** – I'm glad you like. I will, and would, if people weren't so fixated on the 'how'. xD

**Roy – **Do you? I hope not, I plan to make it a mystery until it has to come out. But I'm glad you enjoy, and here is your most patiently waited update. Thanks!

_Pairings_: HyuRoi (mpreg)

NOTE: Bold are Hughes' thoughts, while Italics are Roy's either in the journal, or at the end.

**

* * *

I watched them drag him back. Drag back a limp form that looked lifeless, his body bouncing with each step but there had been no struggle, no sign that he was even alive. It didn't matter, though, at least, that was what I said to myself. He was just another one of those damn experiments, and the only thing I cared about was myself. No one else was in my life, so I didn't care. What good was he anyway?**

**They tossed him in the cell next to mine, his body slapping against the concrete flooring of the confinement with a dull thunk, remaining unmoving for the time. I smirked at it, watching through the bars that adjoined ours. They liked to open them, drag the beasts into the same cell and see how they reacted, living through the night, or killing each other in the slowest way possible.**

**However, his pain no longer seemed to be /good/. I hated to see it. I was /repulsed/ by it. For me, that was never a good sign, and I despised myself for ever thinking so highly of the creature that was beside me. He was intelligent. He gave more than growls and grunts in response, compared to the gorilla/lemur mix to the right of me. He was able to hold a sharp conversation. He had retained his intelligence, and because of that, he was a million times better than these monsters they called specimen.**

"**Taisa…" I murmured, reaching out to take hold of his shoulder, pulling him towards me. That must have been some codename or something that they had given him, so they could tell him apart from their other failed experiments, much like me, calling me 'Greed', though the name never did stick. His pale flesh was cold, covered in a thick coat of sweat. At first, I thought that they had thrown a dead body back in there, and they had finished their tests on him, ready to dispose of his corpse by throwing the lion, eagle, crocodile mix in there with him.**

**However, a small groan lifted my attention, told me that he was still alive, and at that moment, a small grin crossed my lips, disappearing the moment I realized it. His body shook, almost as if the moment that he regained some bit of consciousness, his body remembered the processes that seemed to escape its memory banks while out in the darkness of the fatigue that had drained the chimera. "Taisa?"**

**He groaned again, rolling more towards me. His eyes fluttered open, staring at me with dark eyes, not the ones someone would expect from a man, but ones that were listless, void of all life that seemed to flow through his veins, heart beating weakly, slowly. Now, I had told myself several times that this was just another one of their experiments. I wanted that to hold true. But he was the only one who looked past what I was, was able to give me that smile, albeit rather forced, weak, and afraid most of the time…So I had a damn heart…screw that. I was not going to allow this to slip from me. "Are you all right?"**

**His eyes narrowed slightly, staring at me with a deep resentment, a tortured soul that could no longer grasp his purpose, the reason that had kept him alive these past four weeks. "M…Maes…" He muttered softly, hand, I refused to call it a paw at that point in time, reaching out, coming into contact with bars, constantly trying to push through them, as if he didn't see them there. **

**That name…where had I heard it before? I couldn't be sure where, but I knew that the Taisa had been talking to me. It was mere instinct that I answered, the way he looked at me, it was as if he recognized me from somewhere, and I couldn't let him sit there and suffer, no matter how much I would have loved to enjoy it. Seeing him suffer, as I said, did not seem to bring me joy. "Yes, Taisa?"**

"**What's…what's with the formalities, Hughes? Why don't you call me Roy?"**

**I raised a brow. So I knew him…? But why did I not remember? He didn't…until now. Perhaps his mind was so shattered that his memories were mixing, spouting out in random bits. In return, I snorted. "Shut up and rest."**

**Roy, I think that had been what he said, his words were so quiet and forced, rested his cheek against the cold stone, eyes sliding shut, as if all on cue. Even his hand seemed to fall, though it still would not rest on its own. He was such an idiot, really. He wanted to be a pain and try and keep awake, no matter the pain he was in. I suppose that was my fault for waking him in the first place, but I would never accept such things.**

**Sharing a cell 'wall', if you could call it that, with him made me realize a lot of things. One, that I wasn't as shut away as I had liked to be, two, this strange, fascinating creature beside me was a good companion, no matter how many times I denied it, and three…I had to get /us/ out of there. After four weeks of listening to him, I had grown attached to that voice, and there was no way in hell that I was going to let some stupid human have their way. I just didn't like to lose things I wanted to learn about, and this was just another one of those things. Let the bastards try…they'll regret the day they insulted me.**

"**Maes…"**

"**Shut up, dammit. I told you to rest."**

**One dark eye opened, twitching, not in annoyance, but weariness as he tried his best to keep it open, a strange glint that happened to catch the light in it. "You'll…be here…right?"**

**Scoff. Damn guy. Why couldn't he be smart, go to sleep and leave it be? But…if it would make him feel better, I probably didn't have any other choice. He didn't seem to want to sleep without the reassurance. "Yeah. Get some sleep, Roy. I'll be here." I even took that handsome little paw of his, stretching my hands through the bars to run my finger over the pads, watching the claws flex. **

**He gave a small grin, his eye falling closed, almost as if whatever had been supporting the lids gave way, a /smile/ gracing his features. That was odd…but he was content it seemed, no matter how much pain he seemed to be in. **

**It was that day…the day I realized I had to protect him, or no one else would.**

* * *

Maes raised a brow, lifting a brown book into his hands, rather small to be of much use to anyone. He never did see the use of books other than alchemy ones, though, he never did find what he was looking for in those books, as if he could do alchemy in the first place.

Flipping it over in his hands, looking for an author, or even the title to the book, he frowned, coming up empty handed. There was no use for such rubbish, not if it was some title-less book, by some nameless author with no publishing company. Of course, there came Roy's nagging voice that always made him sigh. He had to make sure what things were before he threw them away. Damn it…

With another sigh that Roy had grown accustomed to in their entire stay, Maes flipped open the book, not to printed words, but to a familiar scrawl, that started out relatively neat, changing from straight lines, long and a bit curly to scribbles, barely readable, unless you were Maes. Maes had been around his Kitten's handwriting for so long; it didn't make it hard to read what his hand guided. It was hard to clench a pen in something that didn't have opposable thumbs. But, of course, this was Roy. He had managed to somehow make it work, because he wanted that job. He wanted to show he wasn't some freak, and could be just like a human, despite his appearance, and, well, Maes had a joy making anyone's life hell who denied that simple wish to him.

Flipping to the first page, Maes found himself rather attracted to the handwriting before Roy's change. It showed the gentle strokes of well-practiced hands, but also had the scribble of masculinity that radiated from the man in the pictures, whether he had been on the top or bottom. The pictures said a lot about the man, really. That smirk masked what was hiding on the inside, those strong eyes that held a fire that no one could quench, the grace he held himself at radiated with both a femininity but also the strength of a good leader. His aloof appearance in many photos…that was a proud man who knew that it took more than saying to do. And, by the end, Maes had recognized Roy, not for his Kitten, but for the stance he took, he looked remarkably like the man who faded and was claimed dead.

His fingers lingered over the page, looping the date with his long digits, stroking the page, as if waiting for a response. Perhaps it would speak to him, instead of having to read the whole passage. He couldn't remember the Roy before this all. His observations all came from pictures, and the little bits that Roy had scrounged up from his repairing mind.

When nothing happened, Maes furrowed his brow. Malcom had gone out to get some more milk for Royce, and he had to get some of his own food. The youth had asked him all about what had been discussed that day about a week ago, but Maes refused to tell him anything. Anything that Malcom didn't need to know anyway. There was no point in dragging the boy in any trouble with him. His only concern had to be Royce now.

Leaving the bedroom, he went across the hall to Royce's room, watching the sleeping form within the basinet that he was getting rather big for to sleep peacefully, beautiful little face contorting to show his emotions, moving from concentration, to what sounded like frustration by the grunts to a smile. Maes grinned, sitting down in the chair positioned beside the child, staring at the books words. Roy was dead. His journal was left for him to read, right? Besides…this could have answered the questions that the homunculus had been asking himself since the whole ordeal happened. How Roy was even able to have Royce…

"What do you think?" Maes lifted his gaze, leaning towards the basinet to watch Royce. Kids were perceptive. He would know what to do. He grinned at the thought, watching the little one kick in his one piece pajama suit, feeties and all. Royce gave a cooing sound, wiggling on his back. He hated sleeping on his back. Maes knew that, but everyone had forced him to, and the baby hardly had the motor skills to move onto his side or stomach on his own. It just showed he had that kitten in him.

After another moment's hesitation, his eyes fell back to the words upon the page. He would read it. He wanted, no/needed/ to know. He had to know what happened to Roy. He just…came home one day and said that he could provide him with the one thing that would hold them together, even if he were to die. Almost as if he knew that this one thing would take it all. Well, he had to start from the beginning, right? Like any good book, that was the first place you had to go to was the beginning. It was the only way you could understand what happened. So…Hughes started to before all of it happened. To the point that had brought Roy to him, not the second, but the first time.

_xxx_

_Maes Hughes. How long had I known him? I didn't know if I wanted to remember, we got into so much trouble throughout the years. He had always been that careless young man, one I hated to be around, but I also envied. I had to focus on school, and the things that children hardly found fun. Ah, but that was the thing. My problems seemed big for me, that I belittled his. I didn't know much about him, though we had been friends for so long. I knew there was something buried there, something he wouldn't even allow me to touch. I was always so focused on myself…when I told him that I was going to study alchemy, he protested the idea._

"_What?!"_

"_I have to. I want to prove to my family I'm not just the youngest, or a failure. I want to amount to something, and I hear there are special factions, the State Alchemists. I can help people."_

"_Roy--! Ah, forget it…"_

"_I'll do it no matter what you say."_

"_Yeah, I figured that." _

_Why did he not want me to do it? I never asked…_

_xxx_

Maes raised a brow. So that was the start of Roy's alchemy training. It still didn't explain how they arrived at the current point in time. He liked to know things…when he wanted them, and already he was getting annoyed with this damn journal for not telling him what he wanted to know.

He growled at it, turning more pages in it and picking a random spot to read. This one had better have turned out more results. The last thing he wanted was to wake Royce, but the thought of the journal almost purposely withholding information was just too much to stand. No stupid collection of scrap paper was going to hold him back from what he wanted to know.

* * *

Malcom shifted the bags in his arms. Plenty of milk for the bottomless pit known as Royce, some things for himself and Maes, and some snacks for possible guests. He was certain in the next few days that they would have too many visitors to count, all ones he would have to care for himself.

His eyes narrowed as he focused on the car stopped in front of the house he was going to, making him walk an even slower in pace. The windows were rolled up, four men sitting inside, he noted, two in the front, two in back, all wearing the same blue uniform of the military. These were the men after Royce…Maes had to be warned.

However, he was not given the chance. All sets of eyes moved to him, forcing him to unwillingly freeze in the spot he was in, staring at them with a strange sense of fear coming over him. His mind screamed to run, that they had saw him, knew that he had something to do with Maes, and they needed leverage to get their prize. He couldn't call for Maes, even, all thought leaving him as he now stared as the emptied car, all four of them having left the warmth of the interior of the black transport…

Malcom took a step back, clutching to the bags as if they were his lifeline. There was no way in hell he was going to be bullied by a bunch of men with guns and blue uniforms. Maes had told him never to back down, to have a backbone, forgetting that he was just a child sometimes. The point besides it, Royce needed all the protection the little guy could get, and he promised Maes to take care of him. Malcom was loyal to him. He wasn't going to let him down, not if he could help it.

_

* * *

xxx_

_Human Transmutation...I don't know how many times I considered it. I was so focused on it. If I could bring back the people who died because of me, then I could rid myself of this guilt. But...Maes...you don't know how much you turned me around that day. How much you helped me realize that no matter how little I placed in myself, I could always succeed, and find an ending to it all. I even questioned myself…when you told me to break it off, if I was good enough. Was it really our positions that made you break it off? …Probably not. You had found someone to give you what I could not. I was happy for you, no matter how much it crushed me. I'm glad I could make you happy, that's all I cared about._

_xxx_

Maes furrowed his brow. Another pointless little passage that got him no where. Though, it did explain Roy's obsession with giving Maes a little one, he just didn't care about it. Roy was afraid that he'd leave like before. Roy had his memories, while his had faded, and this just proved why Roy was so focused on such a pathetic thing. Just another excuse for him to be insecure. But damn…didn't humans have more interesting things to say? Really, they had to have more thoughts than this…his human counter part probably had something more exciting than this. Maybe even describing sex with his wife would have been a bit more interesting to read.

Royce fidgeted again, kicking his legs out and gurgling. He was still trying to find a way off of his back, and it wasn't working all that well. His father's voice ringing out to read to him only further said that he did not want to take it lying down. He looked like he was squirming, flailing and kicking, with no avail. It was quite amusing, really, watching him try and get off his back. Roy had similar problems, he remembered, early on. Then again, Hughes laughed at a lot of things Roy did, though he never found them funny.

Sighing softly, Hughes lifted the baby…boy was the only other word he could come up with to describe him, really. Was he really a chimera? Ah, hell, he didn't care. No point in worrying about it now. As long as he knew who his parents were, biological or not, Maes was fine with it.

Royce opened his expressive eyes, blinking and yawning at his father, staring at him in curiosity. He had always been attracted to that resonating voice, and how it hummed in his chest while he rested there. He loved being held, simply close to the one who had claimed himself as his father. Now sitting on Maes' knee, still watching the face, rather than what the man was doing, his head, still too much weight for his still strengthening neck to bear, tilted to the side, resting against the hand that held him up. The world was a curious place, and this man was the most curious of them all. Why feel such attachments to one who was obviously not his mother? He remembered his mother. Faintly, but he did. Of course, he couldn't simply talk about it, but just watching Hughes told the homunculus that the simplest pleasures were the only things that interested him.

Maes grinned, bouncing him on his knee, staring into the dark depths that were so pure…so innocent, no matter how his existence came to be. "I think you'll grow up to look just like him. So cute! And you'll be Fuhrer--!" Perhaps he was thinking too much on it, but that couldn't be helped. Roy never did get to accomplish his dream. Maybe Royce would be the one to make his other father proud, even if he couldn't be there to see it happen.

Royce's head flopped a bit, eyes widening as he watched the world shake, trying to figure out how it was happening. There wasn't much he was afraid of, or cried about. He hadn't yet learned to take advantage of those around and realized they would pick him up just because he wanted them to. That was probably the next step. However, the familiar 'o' shape to his mouth and the attempts for him to suck on the wrist next to his mouth told Maes that the two hour feeding time had arrived.

"Wait…" He had sent Malcom out over an hour ago to the market to grab some things. It shouldn't have taken this long for him to go and come back, there had to be something he missed. His eyes narrowed, watching Royce who knew something was wrong and began fidgeting again, a small whine leaving him. Emotions were easy to transmit, especially to a baby with his…abnormalities. "Do you think he's running a bit late?"

Royce's response was a sharp cry, muscles no longer working to try and help keep himself up, though they weren't nearly strong enough to hold his small body up yet.

Maes sighed, pulling Royce to his chest and rubbing small circles on his back. "I didn't think so either." He muttered. Of course he didn't think that response was to his question, but, then again, it wasn't to anything else he could think of, other than the lack of food that the endless hole seemed to consume. Luckily for Royce, Roy had left him all of his savings. Roy was a well-paid State Alchemist and didn't have a whole lot to spend it on. And with Maes around, things were gotten for free. There wasn't a huge need for money really. Not when Maes could 'persuade' the milk man to leave more milk than usual for his kittens.

Royce curled his pudgy little fingers around the man's shirt, clinging to him as he was looking for comfort, and obviously food as his cries moved down to grunts and hums, sucking on the shirt as his instincts told him to find the nub that held the fabled milk that his mother should have provided.

"I'll protect you. I promise you that."

Royce's only response was the gentle suckling he did, finding what he was looking for and registering a sharp intake of breath from Maes. However, when it produced nothing after a little while, he grew frustrated and started whining, clawing his shirt in protest at being deprived what he wanted.

"All right, all right. Shh…I'll get you something."

_

* * *

_

_How…how did I survive? Shoving a dog in there with me, forcing me to survive against it while they forced me to do scientific testing at the same time. It was all in their sick little game. They were happy, why shouldn't they be? They had pulled me from my cell before I had even awakened. I had no time to prepare myself, but apparently, a chimera was more than a match for a regular hunting animal, prepared for it or not. And the man that looked like Basque Gran…_

"_Hey."_

_He stood there, confidently, a contemplative expression upon those rugged features, that beard, those handsome violet eyes, what could I do but sit and watch the man as he reached up with large, but proportioned to his body, grasping the lock within that hand and smashing it, as if it were paper in his mighty hand._

_I was…surprised, needless to say. The dead men on the floor that had come to release him from his prison…he should have run while he had the chance. There were beads of sweat rolling down his figure, brow furrowed in concentration as he realized that the lock wasn't just scientific, one he could break so easily. It was also alchemically closed, no chance he was getting in without using the same technique._

_Then again, watching him, I realized that he was going to try what he could, still not giving up when he figured out that he was not getting in that way. "Maes…?"_

"_Yeah?" He replied gruffly, running a hand through his hair. There had to be a release somewhere…_

"_What…what are you doing? You shouldn't be hanging around, destroying things. You're out. Go on."_

_Maes, or rather, that had been what I decided to call him, since I had nothing else but the number 462 and codename 'Greed' to go by, and it was about the only thing that seemed to fit, though I didn't know why, looked up, a bit frustrated with my words, apparently. "What? You're stupid, 'Taisa'. I'm getting you out of here, and if you don't like it, it's too damn bad. So shut the hell up and let me think."_

"_But—"_

"_Shut up." He snapped, looking around at the others in the confines of the area. There had to be a release somewhere…but if they were closed with alchemy too…how was he supposed to get us out of there in the first place? But, he didn't seem ready to give up, and that…that seemed to make me…smile._

"_Then…maybe you should let me try. I think I can try some basic alchemy."_

_Maes blinked, staring at me with that curious look in his eye. Such an adorable look, those purple eyes trying to use intimidation to frighten even when he didn't try to, but the adorableness of it seemed to override it. "You can do alchemy?"_

"_It's…faint, but I think I can melt the bars. I don't know what I can do, but I think I can do this. Would you give me a chance?"  
_

_Maes nodded slowly, watching as I cut into my wrist with my claws, bringing forth a source of blood. Scouring the faint memories in my head, I set to work, drawing the array with my blood and claws, trying to make it perfect. It was difficult, and it took a while, having to reopen my wound to get it completed. _

_With a triumphant smirk, one that felt so familiar on my face as the bars that were inside the circle melted, freeing me from my prison, I made my way around the melted pile of metal, not noticing that I was crawling for it had become so natural now. However, by now, the cut had become rather deep, painful, and already draining my woozy, fatigued body._

_Maes had focused on the others, probably in spite of the men who had done this to us, and came back to me, that stoic mask in place again as the gorilla/lemur combination dashed by, staring at him as if looking for direction. They…all were. Maes was kind of like our leader, the one to lead us to a prosperous land, a paradise. He frowned, ignoring the others and picking me up from the ground. _

_I was surprised by my reaction. His body was warm, but…cool at the same time, probably due to the sheen of sweat that coated his body. It was nice, the dizziness left, in its place, a rather heavy fatigue feeling that made me feel rather blissful. "Maes…"_

"_Shh…" He cooed, glancing over his shoulder at the soldiers he heard. "Don't let them stand in our way…right? End it."_

_Roars rang out, air and fur brushing past, while I clung tighter to Maes, listening to the blood spatter on the walls howls of pain, and the scent of blood floated through the air. _

"_Just sleep, Kitten. We'll be out of here soon." He added, following the parade of malformed creatures. Maes was protecting us…I could find some peace in it, and drift off._


	4. Kitten

Roy! Here's your update. I finished it. Sorry it's a bit later than I planned. Glad you weren't disappointed. We are now getting into everything, so here you are! More cute Royce, a bit of Malcom, and well... yeah. xD Read and enjoy.

_Pairings_: HyuRoi (mpreg)

DISCLAIMER: Malcom belongs to Yuki, Royce is of my own creation, and everything else, minus the plot of this fic belongs to Arakawa. Thanks.

**

* * *

I never thought that I would get from there. Why did it take me so long? Why did they trust me to be able to stay in that cell, and not make my escape? Fools, I thought, but the thought also came across that they wanted me to leave. Something must have been very important. They must have found things out, and knew that I could not up and leave. **

**At least… not without my Kitten.**

**He looked so peaceful there, head against my shoulder, sleeping the entire escape away. I found it rather funny, actually, considering all the noise that was going on around us, guns firing, roars from what I called my followers, and screams from the victims of our assault, and some of our own, more human companions. It was a surprise we had so little resistance. For a place holding so many chimera, and a homunculus, you would have thought them to have a bit better security, something to bind me, weaken me so I could not get away…**

**It made me wonder if their plan wasn't to do that to begin with. Their tools for war, I heard them say. I wasn't anyone's /tool/, dammit, I had my own life, and I would refuse to do what some moron in a lab coat told me to do.**

**It was damn cold outside though. Didn't those bastards know that? There was… white stuff on the ground. Snow, that's what they called it. What the hell did they expect us to do in the /snow/? That could have been another reason, the reptile chimera, and those without fur probably wouldn't survive for long with our current situation. We had no shelter, we had no place to go. **

**Kitten clung tighter, giving a whine in my ear, nuzzling close. Thin prison garb did not provide much for protection, and I noticed the slowly bleeding wound. He really had cut himself deep. Damn idiot, should have just let me break the lock. Forget alchemy, mine had been easy to dismantle. The others too, why did he insist on it?**

**Stubborn human, no doubt. "It'll be fine…" I muttered, nodding to the others to open the warehouse door. It would have to do until I could find a better place to hide us in. The place was a mess, but there were papers to start a nice fire, those that had not been leaked on, anyway, along with some dry leaves that must have floated in during the fall. I could deal with it all for the moment, and Kitten and the others would just have to deal. I wasn't all that excited to leave them there, but I had to do something. Even with the roaring fire, they wouldn't last. **

"**I have to go."**

"**But sir!" Interrupted the young man, one of the few that looked human. It was obvious by the way he took the jumps back there that he wasn't, but it was nice to know that not all had been torn apart… Heh, listen to me, talking about how I feel sorry for these fools. I didn't care…**

"**If I don't go, the lot of you die. Did we best those military idiots just to do that?"**

**He stepped back, and I had to smirk at the sudden respect that they surrendered. It was great, I had to say. They were so eager to please. "I understand, but…"**

"**But nothing. You, with the fur coat, take care of Kitten. I'll be back in a few hours with some blankets and maybe heavier clothes. Just sit tight and wait till I get back. If I'm not here by sunrise, you're on your own."**

**The others made small noises of protest, but to be fairly honest, I didn't care. Something pulled me away, not to save myself, but every time I felt the man in my arms shake or shiver, every time he gave a whimper. I had to protect him, wasn't that what I resolved? **

**The strange white furred creature, hell, I had no idea what half of them were settled down by the fire, while I settled him next to it, a long, rather fluffy tail coming around as a mediocre cover to protect him. He curled, leaning into the fur for warmth, no longer noticing he had been away from me. Good. If something did happen, at least he wasn't so attached that I would /have/ to come back.**

**The creature serving as his caretaker lowered its head, licking at the wrists that were slowly healing, washing the blood away. At least if I didn't, they would care for each other. They had no one to accept them, no one but each other. I knew it would work out. Of course, it was /my/ idea.**

**With a wave to them, I left the actually growing warmth of the warehouse, due to the fire, and left, in search of a bit more fashionable thing then /prison garb/…**

_

* * *

xxx _

You told me not to worry. You said everything would be fine, Maes. What the hell were you leaving me out on? You would call, brag about Elysia, tell me the rumors of my triumphant return to Central, but not once did you tell me significant information. I'm in East City. What can I do from this backwater town? There was nothing I could do. I wanted to strangle you sometimes…but I sometimes thought that wouldn't be fair, considering all the things I left you out on. Ah, well, then again, I wasn't ready to accept my loss yet. Ah, hell, there were plenty of things I hid from you. Now was no longer the time for that. I just hope that everything is all right…one thing out of place, and I'm leaving my post, straight for Central.

_xxx_

Malcom glanced between them, fear being overridden by dedication. Pitiful, certainly, but it was about the only thing that kept him standing at the moment. The only problem was, he couldn't get around them to get to his place to get away from them, and had no means to call for help. No matter how long he tried, he couldn't get it through his head that he needed to scream. Maes was right there. Just fifty or so feet away! They wouldn't be able to handle him…or so he wanted to think. The thought also crossed his mind that they /wanted/ him to cry out for help, lure Maes out there, leaving Royce inside where they could easily grab him.

Who was to say they were even after the kid? He couldn't say he knew much about his life, maybe he was the one they were after or…maybe they had come to kill Hughes. Why didn't this stuff just go away? Other emotions seemed to override fear again. Annoyance, protectiveness, great dislike for anything in blue at the moment. What could a young man do? Not even a teenager yet…he couldn't do anymore than throw the bags at them and make a run for it.

Offering a small grin, Malcom shoved the bags forward and dived towards the stairs. It probably wasn't the smartest idea, since the man did have three others for back up, but that thought hadn't occurred until he scrambled up the walk, concern for his own safety returning. They sure were persistent bastards; he had to give them that. Of course, they weren't the stupid fools he thought they were, either. A single shot was fired, all sound leaving the world around him.

_xxx_

_The luncheon after the funeral, I suppose you could call it a memorial service, really, was held at Glacier's house. She spoke like a brave woman, but I could see how torn apart she was, and little Elysia…she still didn't understand why we left you there._

_I, myself, was asking the same question, why you weren't here with us. Why weren't these people crying over the funny memories from laughing so hard? Why were we dressed like this? It's all your fault of course. You did this to these people…_

_Glacier showed something to me. The photo album. Our secret photo album. There were pictures in there that I hadn't even known about. Damn…I couldn't believe how embarrassed I was when she showed it to me. She said you showed her all the pictures, and told her what happened. The moments it was just you and I with Elysia while she was out with her friends or to her parents…she said that Elysia had once told her that I'd make a great mommy. I knew it had been something you told her, it had to be, but it was still not funny._

"_I knew how he was, how he felt. If it had to be anyone, I was glad it was you. Don't be afraid to come by, Elysia and I appreciate you being here."_

_You found yourself a good woman, and now, I guess it's my turn. There's only one that I would ever consider to be in that place, and I'm not ready for that step yet. She'd probably kill me if I ever even made a slight move towards her. Ass…you owe me…those damn pictures will haunt me forever!_

_xxx_

Maes grinned, looking into the fridge. Perhaps there was still a bit of left over milk in there for the little one that he hadn't finished. There had to be something out there for him. He didn't have teeth, so it couldn't be something to chew. Orange juice wouldn't settle with him, and water wasn't filling. Besides, he couldn't get Royce anywhere near water. He already had the irrational fear of the liquid.

Royce lifted his head, which fell back against his father's hand, grunting, still indicating that he was hungry. Unfortunately, Maes couldn't find anything for him. Not a drop of milk in the house. Maybe oatmeal? He could swallow it, though he probably wouldn't like it, it would fill his stomach.

He lifted the baby's head, pushing it back to his chest so he would be a bit more comfortable, using his leg to push him back up into a better hold while he rummaged through the cupboards for anything that he'd be able to feed the small one without having to mush it up. Damn, babies were such pains. He had no idea what he could feed him. Butter. Maybe that would work? Roy liked to eat butter, and he had told Maes that it helped prevent hairballs. That was good, right?

Royce wasn't happy with the wait, obviously. He'd been sitting there patiently for quite some time, and there still was nothing in his mouth. So, his attention returned to his natural instincts, the one that both his kitten and his baby senses told him to follow, searching for the damn nipple with milk. Where the hell did this guy keep it? His mouth found the wet spot and the taut nub again, a content purr finding its way, forward, though, really, it sounded more like a rattle. Apparently he hadn't gotten the hang of it yet, but it was still cute. His eyes closed, no longer worried about the wet barrier between his mouth and his target, more focused on the content feeling he had and the urge to fall asleep.

Maes shivered again, stopping his search to pull Royce's head away. "Nyaaaah…you're not going to get anything out of that." Roy had been the same way whenever he started that. He made himself so content, he almost fell asleep. It was so cute, but very frustrating at the same time, especially when he had started something, and planned on leaving Maes to his own devices. A quick hand running over his stomach, though, woke him up. "You can't do that, there's nothing there." He hated that look of pre-tears on his face. That little pout. He looked so dejected, being denied access. He gave a small sigh, sitting down in a chair, running his fingers through the soft locks on his son's head. "You're a brat."

Royce wouldn't be happy, being denied such treasure. Dammit, he wanted food, and the only thing that looked promising was the dusky nub beneath the moistened cloth from his sucking. He simply glared, as if trying to will Hughes to come to him so he would have his source for contentment and possibly food back.

That all changed when the gunshot rang out, the boy immediately screaming, ears falling back into the smooth tresses upon his head. The strange sound that rumbled in him, though not quite a purr faded quickly, his frightened cries replacing all sounds in the area. Maes pulled him close, though not even that seemed to calm him any. Refusing to leave him there, screeching in terror, a sound that wasn't foreign to his ears, but in this instance, it didn't bring him joy.

Throwing the door open, shielding little Royce with his arms and muffling his cries, he glared around, searching for the source. He was /not/ going to be happy. Bastards…going around, firing guns as if they were toys. It was so close too, as if it was right outside…

_xxx_

_Damn Hughes, you wouldn't believe the luck I had this morning. I spent the entire night camped outside your house. Don't even ask me why, I just was there. And there was nothing to indicate that anyone was even home, not until Glacier knocked on the window where Hawkeye and I had fallen asleep. I was feeling rather stupid then, but she smiled, gave us some breakfast, and proceeded with her morning routine. That meant I was running late for work, and Hawkeye as well. That meant double time on paperwork. _

_Of course, then I had to miss a date. Cynthia wasn't happy. And Ed's request for reimbursement. What the hell was wrong with that kid? You should have seen the absurd list of things…And you told me he was an adult in a kid's body…that's just as absurd. Sometimes I still wonder what I'm doing in this seat. Then I look to my subordinates…and I know why. For the chance to see Hawkeye in a mini-skirt! And, of course, my chance to right the wrongs…but that'll come later. Well, it's about time I passed out. _

_xxx_

The door being thrown open didn't help the men who were trying to restrain a boy. The youth was putting up more of a fight than the four men who were sitting on him. Two of the four looked up, Malcom's struggles pausing to look up at Hughes who stared on in confusion. It was quickly fading however, to be replaced with anger, teeth grinding together, and his hold on Royce tightening. The small child's cries had subsided, fingers curling around the fabric and holding on as tightly as possible with frail claws. He didn't know what was going on, and the boost in anger that could be smelled with his increased animalistic senses only made him more curious, and frightened. If he could get away from Maes, he probably would have.

"S-sir!" Malcom cried, trying to claw his way from those positioned on him. Maes took a step forward to help, however the gun of the man closest to him fired, scrapping the pavement at Maes' feet. Usually, being shot at didn't bother him. And it didn't. But…there was a problem. A screaming Royce, clinging to him, the loud sound even closer than the last one, the sense of fear now coming to the air.

"Damn it! Human bastards, I'm not someone you want to piss off!" Maes growled. That look in Malcom's eye…that frightened but determined look had been one he had seen before. He didn't recall that look on his Kitten's face. It was a face before then, a face that was faint. Shaking his head of the image, he moved to grab the man by his head. No way in hell would he be upstaged by a human.

The men opened fire, Maes having to turn, shielding Royce with his body, the cries of the baby the only thing being heard, mixed in with the shots that rang out. A homunculus could take a lot more than a hailstorm of bullets, but Royce was just a baby and human, for the most part, at that. He wouldn't take those shots. But Malcom…an older version, more human than the one in his arms…He couldn't simply /leave/ him in that situation.

When the bullets stopped, Maes lifted himself, still shielding the shaking infant, ignoring his cries for the moment and looking for Malcom and the attackers. The screeching tires blocked out the sounds of the neighbors, frightened by the commotion, staring at the 'inhuman' man that they had always suspected since he and his freak of a boyfriend moved in those years ago. To them, Maes was an even bigger freak than Roy had been. Unnatural…

"Damn it!" His wounds had taken little time to clear up, the blood that had come from those few bullets that had made it through his flesh and muscle, dripped to the ground and the little one that laid on the ground. This wasn't simply about Roy, or Royce or even him anymore. This was so much more than that, and damn the people who got in his way. No one shot at him and got away with it. There would be hell to pay. And, of course, there were those that threatened Malcom and Royce, he wouldn't forget about that.

"Shh…" He murmured, taking Royce back up in his arms, glaring in the direction the car had left. His entire form shook with anger and the rush. If they were coming for him, why didn't they bring anything to fight /him/ in particular with, instead of weak little guns? Because they wanted to see him squirm…He didn't squirm for anyone. He couldn't do this, not with Royce. He couldn't take care of a child. It wasn't in him. The thought had crossed his mind…it was time he gave him up…

_xxx_

_I was asked to look into a laboratory. They told me to aid in their research, and then report to them my findings. Word was that there was a promotion in on it. Of course I jumped on the chance. A promotion? And the chance to help some research to better mankind? Who wouldn't jump on the chance to do it? _

_I suppose I'm a bit nervous about it…who wouldn't be, considering all the hell that we had to go through? I looked forward to it, sure, but…I could only speculate on what could be behind those iron doors. Furthering their research was helpful, I could get things from it, but…something in my gut tells me not to go. You always followed your gut feeling, I suppose I should with mine then as well? Perhaps I'll call in sick tomorrow…_

_xxx_

The room was dark, the floor cold, concrete, very dirty. Rocks that must have fallen from their places in the ceiling and walls scattered on the floor with no signs of where they had come from, a deep midnight blue in color. The only light came in from the windows along one wall that were high up, a few inches from the ceiling, moonlight shining through, to be exact, considering the dark blue sky that met his gaze when he looked out of them.

'What happened?' His mind asked the question his mouth could not. His head was pounding, they must have hit him pretty hard. The gun shots still rang in his ears, as if he was still hearing them. Maes…took those bullets like it was nothing. What had happened to him? And Royce? For now…he had to worry about himself. There was no indication as to where he was, or what he was even doing there.

Malcom sat up, running a hand over his sweating brow. For such a cold floor, he sure was warm. A small sigh left him. How could he let himself be /caught/ like that? There was no reason for it. There was plenty more he could do to fight it. For instance…not getting distracted when Maes came out would have been rather helpful.

"Ah…you're awake."

Malcom's eyes shot around the room. He knew that voice! But…what was he doing here? He couldn't believe it. There was no way that it was him. It couldn't be. Not only that, it was too cold. Too cruel. He didn't recognize the tone. The voice may have been his, but not that tone.

"Good." He could hear the amusement in his voice. That amusement certainly did not calm his fears any. It only made him wonder what was in store now. What could this be about? Fear returned. He was a kid. What did these people want from him?

"What…what is it you want with me?!" He finally demanded. It took a lot to make his voice work, but it paid off. The response, however, wasn't something that he had expected.

A cold laugh, followed by the sound of metal clinking against metal. "Oh, just a little experiment on our new weapon. Let's test it now, actually. I'm quite eager to see if it works." A shape, a shadow, more like it, kneeled down next to something, a gleam catching the moonlight on his glasses as his gaze turned to whatever he was next to. "Wake up…" He muttered, an almost gentle tone coming from him, though it was still that shivering cool that could be heard by even human ears.

Two, glowing lights, what he presumed to be eyes (since the man had told it to awaken) opened, glaring straight ahead, straight at their prisoner. A growling sound filled the room, screeching followed with it, almost as if someone was scratching their nails against a chalk board…

"Ah, my beautiful Kitten. Look at that one there. He's come to hurt us. He's got a piece of me with him, I can't get near him. He wants to take me away from you." Malcom immediately recoiled, pressing himself against the wall. He was telling this thing to attack him…and he had no way to defend himself…he knew /some/ alchemy, but not enough to do anything with. A monstrous roar replaced the growling, something, whatever it was inside the cage, he decided, rammed the bars or the wall. Whatever was keeping it inside. What…what was going on?

"You'll protect me, won't you Kitten?" Another roar, this time much more like a reply, the growling returning. The eyes remained, though now it was pacing, Malcom figured because of the back and forth movements that its eyes had made. Whatever this 'Kitten' was, it was certainly not human.

Before Malcom could react, the door opened, and the beast lunged out, racing towards him. Malcom did the only thing he could do…he screamed.

_

* * *

_

_I had waken up…I would say it was about midday, the way that the sun was positioned in the sky, but I couldn't stand the pacing, and the mutters. Where was Maes? Or Greed? Or whatever the hell he wanted to be called? Why did he just up and leave without a word to me? Sure, I was sleeping, but he should have woken me up before he left, especially if there was a possibility that he could die, or just not return…_

_I shivered, cuddling closer to the bear on instinct, listening to his stomach grumble. That wasn't good on any of our parts, but so far, no one had tried to take a bite out of anyone, unless it was the one who died this morning, but it was something we had to do, in order to survive. Finding food was not easy, especially in the winter. Despite our animal characteristics, or human, or conflicting tastes in food for some, got in the way. It wasn't as easy as they thought to just jump out there for a meal. Carnivores mixed with herbivores, humans mixed with animal, hell, some just couldn't stand the tastes of another, not that they were different types of food eaters._

_It was a disaster from the beginning. None of us knew where to go from here. I was told, shortly after I had awaken, that Maes told us all to split if he had not returned by sunrise. He didn't allow himself all that much time. If he ran into trouble and had to hide until the heat was off, he should have realized it would have taken a bit more than a few hours._

"_It'll be fine, Kitten, Greed'll be back in no time." The young male standing off to the side muttered, offering a small grin. He was standing watch at the door, since none of us refused to leave without him. We needed him to survive, it seemed, not because we had to rely on him, but his companionship was… he saved us, we needed him, so how could that bastard expect us to go?_

_I said nothing. I couldn't. My throat was dry, obscured with the looming possibility that Maes was not coming back, that we were all waiting for the military to find us, and our numbers were dwindling, relying off of those who had fallen for food. I shuddered again, inching closer to the fire._

_It was then that Maes returned, just before nightfall, sitting around the fire that was dwindling, all those cold-blooded having been unable to last. The heat wasn't sufficient enough for their massive sizes…_

"_Maes…!" Of course I was the first up, despite the cold within my body, how it ached with each movement I made, but the others were happy to see him as well. Our leader had returned to us, despite how upset he seemed to be that we were here._

_He found a coat, actually, tossing uniforms to those who seemed to have the human body for it, and coats to the beasts. "Idiots. Told you to run."_

"_How could you expect us to?! Where would we go? You never did think things through." I snapped, fighting out of my clothing, ready to shred it in my frustrations. I had never tried to get dressed, or undressed, for that matter._

"_Shut up, Kitten." He muttered, crossing the distance, and blocking the others from view with a slight snarl, a faint tinge rising to my cheeks as he helped me into clothes that I found so familiar, but faint, clothing I remembered, but could not place. _

_He blinked, tilting his head as he gazed at me, earning a small laugh. "What?"_

"_You're getting sick, or something. Your face." He raised a hand to touch me, and I turned an even deeper red._

"_Dammit, Maes, come on. I'm still cold, and hungry…"_

* * *

Totally know that you did not expect that conclusion, before Roy's bit. Ha! At least...I hope you didn't! o.o I want to make my stuff unpredictable!

xD Read and review.


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